The Greatest GenerationI was watching the History Channel on June 6, and another D-Day Anniversary show. I’m drawn to anything to do with D-Day, or World War II for that matter, as my dad was there and it has great meaning for me. The show was about Tom Brokaw’s remembrances and his tremendous interest after he interviewed a few of the participants. He found that there was another very important story that is woven into the American fabric of life — that of the WWII...

Playing the field ... with jobsThe first item on our list of things to do, next to popular D.C. attractions such as “visit the Arlington Cemetery,” “tour the Smithsonian” and “catch a Nationals game,” is a simple three-word phrase: “get a job.” In a city that houses more than half a million people, this is easier said than done. To make matters worse, being here only for the summer means any work I’m looking for is temporary. And since I’m too nice to lie to potential emplo...

Why I am passionate about literacyWhat are you passionate about? As you think about this question a moment, I can tell you I am passionate about literacy. The reason I know I’m passionate about literacy is that I get mad when I read about someone who is intentionally keeping their child from learning to read for their own selfish gain. Not to keep you in the dark, here is what I am talking about. A while back a friend sent me a Dec. 7, 2012, article written by Nicholas Kristof...

City on a hillThe phrase “City on a Hill” was coined by John Winthrop, the first governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. He penned a directive as he crossed the ocean from England to New England aboard the Arabella in early 1630. His passengers were primarily Puritans who had fled England in search of religious freedom. Winthrop wanted the settlers to be successful, and he understood that they would be under great scrutiny. His directive provided inspirat...

Living in communityAs a new pastor in the community of Russellville, I would like to say thank you to all who I have met and who have warmly received my family and me. My wife and I met in Conway when we were in college, and some years later moved to Texas, then Oklahoma and finally we are back home. There is something special about Arkansas and her communities and the Foster family is excited to be back in order to experience community “Arkansas style.” God has...

Be not offendedMy past few articles have dealt with Romans 14, which tells us to refrain from judging others in matters of opinion and preference. The reasons could not be more obvious, clear and logical. We are not capable nor do we have the authority. No other human belongs to us. Each and every one of them belongs to God. In addition Romans 14 is very explicit about the damage we do when we judge others on matters of opinion. And I submit that much of wha...

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Pastor Steve EllisonThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Dad’s sons should make Sunday a proud dayARKADELPHIA — It’s a beautiful day June 7. There’s a nice little crowd saluting an American flag that U.S. Army Major John Paul Arnold is raising during a ceremony at Ouachita Baptist University, his alma mater. He’s wearing a chest full of ribbons earned in two tours of duty in Iraq and one in Afghanistan. His older brother and fellow OBU graduate, Curtis, is there as well. It’s the middle of a workday, but Curtis’ schedule is – let’s just sa...

School is outIt’s summertime in Arkansas. Children kick start their summer fun of no school and hope for later bedtimes. Teachers are getting their well-deserved rest and family time. I for one certainly look forward to my wife, an educator, being able to spend more quality time with the kids and me. In fact, Kim and I just returned from a weeklong trip to Taiwan. I am very grateful for the Taiwanese Government for sponsoring it, and the Taipei Economic an...

State should seek long-term solutionsGov. Mike Beebe will ask a subcommittee of the Arkansas Legislative Council next month for approval to use “rainy-day funds” to aid Arkansas students seeking advanced degrees in high-demand health fields not offered in the state. The action is necessary because the General Assembly paid little attention to the dwindling reserves in the fund used to finance scholarships for these students and others. In fact, lawmakers showed little interest in...

Hutchinson expresses NSA concerns“Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.” – Benjamin Franklin, 1775 Since before our nation’s founding, we have debated the balancing act over how much government intrusion we will tolerate in our lives to ensure national security. The debate has come to the forefront again with revelations regarding a program of the National Security Administration called PRISM. The...

Schumer: Illegals on path to citizenshipAmericans might generally think that if someone forges a document and uses a Social Security number that does not belong to them, they should go to jail. Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., believes if you are an illegal alien and you do these things, you should become a U.S. citizen. He made his case for this in the Senate Judiciary Committee. When the committee was considering amendments to its immigration “reform” bill on May 20, Sen. Chuck Grass...

My knaidel ’tis of theeWhen I was little kid, I thought everyone had at least one set of grandparents who spoke what we all called “broken English.” Why not? All the kids in my neighborhood had at least one set of grandparents from one “Old Country” or another. In my grandmother’s house, conversations took place in a lightning fast, blurred slur of English and French-Canadian dialect. Everyone used the word they thought of first, English or French, and of course the...

Coach Bailey, a RHS legendIn the 143 years since Russellville became an incorporated city in June 1870, many individuals have served the Russellville School District as administrators, faculty, and staff members. However, relatively few have served in all three areas, and none with more distinction than Wallace Bailey. For more than 43 years, he served the Russellville school district as teacher, coach, and administrator. He remains the winningest football coach in Rus...

Looks to be a great summerSummer is here and we seem to be falling in to some new routine in our lives. It has the makings of some good times this year. I’ve noted it is light at that terrible hour each morning when I roll out of the bed and it is usually still light when I go back to bed each evening. I attribute that as being another sign I am getting older. The adopted dogs, Duke, the lab, and Daisy, the beagle, have made our home their own. Duke owns the couch and ...

Well-behaved first ladies seldom make historyIf my husband were president, I think I’d have to be exiled to the Kingdom of Bhutan for the duration of his tenure, because there is no way I would have the self-discipline of Michelle Obama. It took the first lady five years to verbally take down a heckler. I’d be in a wrestling match by month two of the primaries. I can just feel it. On Tuesday, Mrs. Obama was 12 minutes into her speech at a Democratic fundraiser when Ellen Sturtz yelled fo...

Say NO to GMOs in Your FoodOn Memorial Day weekend, 2 million people marched in protests against seed giant Monsanto for the purpose of bringing awareness to hazards from genetically modified food, which it and other companies manufacture. Organizer Tami Canal said protests were held in 436 cities in 52 countries. Genetically modified plants are grown from genetically modified, or engineered, seeds, which are created to resist insecticides and herbicides so that crops c...

The Work of the Search CommitteeEvery human is created to be in fellowship with the Creator. As I have written elsewhere, God has promised that we can find Him. He has said that we will find Him when we search for Him with all of our heart. God said that we will find Him when we set our heart and soul to do so. Commitment and effort are required. If we really want to find God, we will. God gave us a few suggestions in the Bible. First, Isaiah 51:1 says, “Listen to me, you wh...

by
Pastor Steve EllisonThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Myths and realities of cohabitationJanice Crouse, Ph.D recently wrote online concerning myths and reality in regard to cohabitation. She reports that half our young adults, between 20 and 40, are opting for cohabitation instead of getting married. With the result that the marriage rate has dropped 40% since 1960. Crouse touches on four associated myths; • Myth # 1. It is said that cohabitation provides a preferable means to validate an intimate relationship. While this may appe...

IRS should outlaw all ‘Social Welfare’ political fronts — left and rightIf you’re covered in political stink, it might be prudent to avoid yelling “dirty politics” at others. Lately, a mess of right-wing tea party groups have been wailing nonstop that they have been targeted, harassed and denied their civic rights by partisan, out-of-control, Obamanistic IRS thugs. The right-wing groups were not targeted by government snoops and political operatives, but tagged by their own applications to be designated by the IRS...

Something is amiss“The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again: But already it was impossible to say which was which.” So ended the novel “Animal Farm” by George Orwell, which satirized the Russian Revolution and the country’s transition to communism. In the easy-to-read book, the animals initially overthrow the people running Manor Farm and rename it Animal Farm. They come up with seven commandments to codify th...